Cygnet
by Fushigi Rockna
Summary: It was the name he liked to call his little girl, but it was also what he used to call his former lover... [Hyuroi, Drabble]


**AN: **Well this sure is one random idea.

The other night I found out what a cygnet was, and got inspiration from it. Of all things. So this is basically a random drabble using a pretty word I just learned. Yay!

If you know what a cygnet is, good for you. If you don't, don't worry, you'll find out at the end of the fic. ;) So what are you waiting for? Get reading and find out:x

-

To say that Maes Hughes loved his daughter Elicia was a complete and utter understatement.

The military man adored his little girl, worshipped every spot her tiny feet trended on, and he wanted _everyone_ to know about all the marvelously cute things his teeny darling did.

It was different than with his wife, Gracia. Make no mistake, he worshipped and adored her as well. But the bond between a parent and child is different. He had past loves before Garcia, some he still thought about and cared for, namely his last before her. She, likewise, had past loves before him. Although, if Gracia died-god forbid- Hughes himself wouldn't be able to move on, but he would hope Gracia could if something ever happened to him. This was different with Elicia. There were no past Elicias; there were no Elicias he could ever move on from. He could never have another Elicia. And she could never have another father. She would always be his little girl, and he would always be her loving papa. Even in death.

One of his favorite pet names for Elicia was cygnet, although she clearly didn't know what it meant. That was okay; neither did the last person he used it on. He loved using it because not only was it unique and fitting, but it always reminded him of fond memories with a certain someone…his past love and good friend…Roy Mustang.

He remembered clearly the night he first used it. Roy for whatever reason was quite pale that night (Hughes suspected he was exerting himself over something, and looking back, he realized that Roy may have been stressing over the just started war in the East) and the full moon complimented him. He could clearly remember himself whispering that night in awe:

"Like a cygnet…"

Roy looked at him with curiosity. "What did you say?"

"A cygnet. You're like a cygnet Roy."

Curiosity was then replaced with skepticism.

"And what on Earth is a cygnet?" he asked.

Hughes grinned. "What? You don't know?"

"No. Tell me."

"Best not."

"Maes!"

The other leant down and began massaging that pale collarbone with his lips.

"Maes. Answer me when I ask you something." Roy began, ignoring his activities.

"It's not my fault you don't know it." He said, stopping only to speak.

"Maes, tell me."

"Nope."

"It's something bad, isn't it?"

"Depends on how you look at it."

"Maes!"

Grin turned to smirk. Hughes loved riling Mustang up. He loved purposely using words he figured Mustang wouldn't know. Still smirking, he rose back up and observed the figure below him once again.

"Hmm…I was wrong actually." He began, confusing Roy more. His hands ran slowly down the other's body subconsciously. It may as well have been a temple, for it is was where his worship was currently made. "You're a _full grown _cygnet."

Needless to say, the new words Hughes used with cygnet didn't make Roy happy.

"Maes Hughes, if you won't tell me what the hell that blasted word means, I'm going to look it up first thing tomorrow and if it's something bad, I'm going to kick your a-"

"Okay, okay, quiet already." Maes moaned, placing his right hand over Roy's moving mouth. "Look it up tomorrow then, and if you don't like it you can beat me senseless."

"And I will." Roy replied with a glare.

While he loved riling Roy up, there was actually nothing Hughes loved more than making him believe he had insulted him when he hadn't. The reason was Roy's reaction when he discovered he was wrong. Case in point, the morning after, Roy –true to his word- left early to the library and came back that afternoon wearing a blush and a pout, a mixed emotion of embarrassment and defeat visible all over him. He looked to Maes, opened his mouth, closed it, tried again, then looked away, flustered.

"So, you found out what a cygnet is?" Maes asked confidently.

He thought he heard Roy mumble a forced "Thank you," but maybe he just imagined it. Either way, Roy didn't say anything else. He only held his warm face feeling flattered by what cygnet meant, yet pissed off that he let Maes get the best of him again.

-.-.-.-

There were times when Hughes regretted breaking up with Roy, but each time he used the pet name cygnet for his little girl, the regret went away. For if he had stayed with Roy, he would never had been blessed with Elicia, and the thought of that was too much to bear.

"Papa…" Elicia began one day. "What does cygnet mean?"

Hughes smiled at her with nothing but undying love.

"Baby swan, Elicia-chan. A cygnet is a baby swan."


End file.
